The field of this invention involves testing procedures of the type commonly used by animal owners, and more specifically the invention relates to a method for obtaining a blood sample from a horse or other hoofed animal for test procedures.
Recently a number of laboratory tests have been devised which may be easily carried out by a horse owner. In the past, blood samples have been obtained from a horse by inserting a hypodermic needle into the jugular vein. Most horse owners are reluctant to carry out this procedure and usually require a veterinarian to obtain such samples. Many testing procedures which can be carried out on a blood sample are so simple that they can be performed by the owner. Thus, the need for a veterinarian to obtain the blood sample greatly increases the cost of testing.
Many methods have been tried to obtain a blood sample from a horse. One such approach is to make a small incision in the tip of a horse's ear. The horse reacts to this as being uncomfortable and because most incision devices make a clicking noise, this often startles the horse or causes the horse to raise or turn its head. This makes sample collecting very difficult.
Another approach is to make an incision in the muzzle of the horse. This is uncomfortable for the horse and also unsatisfactory.
While in vitro tests can be performed utilizing a urine sample, such samples are difficult to obtain and the use of a blood sample is preferable. A better means for obtaining such blood samples is needed. Some of the tests which may be carried out on a blood sample include pregnancy testing, general health screening, pregnancy progesterone levels and foal immunoglobulin levels.